Album Review: Fire in the Kitchen
Unisphere Records (BMG), 1998 | 09026-63133-2

by Jessica Jacob

When I heard that The Chieftains were coming out with another new album I was in a huge hurry to buy it as soon as I could. I was very excited about it because I heard it had a lot of Canadian musicians in it and up there they've got some really awesome Celtic music. I ordered it from some online company and ended up getting it about a week after it had come out which I wasn't happy about but I got it eventually.

It's definitely very different from anything else I've ever heard them do. (I don't have The Long Black Veil but it's the same idea with a bunch of guest musicians). I recognized a couple names like Leahy, Great Big Sea, Ashley MacIsaac, and Natalie MacMaster. The rest are previously unheard of to me but they're pretty good. I don't really enjoy all the songs but I usually just skip to some of my favorites.

There is one REALLY stupid thing on this CD and I refuse to listen to the song. The beginning to the song is really nice and a short part by Paddy on the pipes but otherwise it's retarded. Ever heard the song that goes "bring back, bring back, bring back my bonnie to me"? Someone sings that song on the CD. The first time I heard it I burst into fits of laughter because it was so crazy. (I never liked this song anyway so maybe that's why I think it's so ridiculous. But I've always thought of it as like a child's song anyway.) It's not exactly the same but it's close enough and the song just gets under my skin. That's one of the biggest things I don't like about the CD. Otherwise I think it's really cool.

Leahy is the first band to play on the album. I like them a lot but they're pretty much all fiddles and it's rather tiring after a while. Their rendition of The Mason's Apron is great! Ever since I've heard Matt Molloy play that song I have loved it!

Great Big Sea performs a song called Lukey/Lukaloney. I have to say it's probably one of the best songs on the whole album. There's some great music and the words to some of the verses make you laugh. Like the one where they sing, "I says Lukey the blinds are down ha me boys, well I says Lukey the blinds are down your wife is dead and she's on the ground ah ha!" and it goes on to another amusing verse and then an instrumental. Then they sing some more. I love listening to it over and over and singing along with it.

Ashley MacIsaac's songs are some very pretty fiddle music. I can't not pass this song up when I listen. I like the second part called The Contradiction the best.

Natalie MacMaster does a very neat song called Fingal's Cave. It starts out with her playing fiddle and then more and more musicians join in. Near the end in the last minute or so she dons some hardshoes and you can hear her stepdancing around. It's really awesome because I love listening to Irish dancing taps in songs.

There's a song called A Mhairi Bhoidheach sung by Mary Jane Lamond. She has a very pretty voice and Kevin Conneff adds his wonderful vocals in backing during the song. She too stepdances at the end. I think she's a little better than Natalie MacMaster myself but they're both very good. What is truly amazing is she goes from singing to stepdancing and a couple seconds later is singing again. I could never do say my slip jig and then expect to be able to start singing! That's what truly amazes me about this woman (aside from her lovely singing) and I like the song all the more.

The next song is Rattlin' Roarin' Willie performed by Barra MacNeils. This song is GREAT! For one thing it's so lively and another the words to the song are just so cool. Well I can't say the words since you can't understand them hardly at all but how they're sung is cool. When they sing "rattlin' roarin' willie!" you can't help but grin a little because it sounds kinda silly. I like it a lot though. After they're finished singing they (I figure The Chieftains are in this track too) launch into a Chieftains song I recognize but I cannot place. I think I heard it once on An Irish Evening but I'm not sure. It's really good though.

The last good song is the last song on the CD called Le Lys Vert. It's a very nice little song and one of the best instrumentals of them all except there are some vocals near the end. Those are pretty fun to listen to also. The last 2 minutes are the best part of the song and really make me want to get up and dance.

I can't say I'm estatic about how this one turned out (I can't rave like I would over say Santiago, An Irish Evening, or Celtic Wedding) but it's a good CD anyway. I guess I missed listening to just The Chieftains. This is one of those albums where they kind of take a little backseater and let their guests take over the show. I hope their next album, whenever it might come out, is a lot better. It probably will be. The Chieftains have never released anything bad! Let's hope they never do ;)